City council rejects on-campus stadium referendum

Sep. 4, 2012

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Stadium Coverage

Fort Collins voters will not get the chance to voice their opinions on the Novem­ber ballot about an on-cam­pus football stadium at Colo­rado State University.

City council on Tuesday rejected a nonbinding ballot referendum on the issue in the general election on a 3-3 vote.

Council members Ben Manvel, Kelly Ohlson and Lisa Poppaw voted in favor of the referendum. Ohlson said citizens feel helpless about the most highly charged municipal debate he can recall in 40 years.

“At least their local gov­ernment can give them an opportunity to have their voice, to have a say,” he said. Mayor Karen Weitkunat and council members Gerry Horak and Aislinn Kottwitz opposed it. Councilman Wade Troxell was not pre­sent. Kottwitz said the re­sponsibility to take the com­munity’s temperature on the stadium debate rests with the university, not city coun­cil.

The ballot question would have amounted to a straw poll of Fort Collins’ citizens on the polarizing stadium de­bate. Ultimately, the deci­sion to proceed toward con­struction of an on-campus stadium to replace aging Hughes Stadium on the city’s western fringe rests with CSU President Tony Frank.

He is expected to an­nounce whether the univer­sity intends to move forward with the plan for a $246 mil­lion, 42,000-seat stadium be­fore the CSU Board of Gov­ernors meets Oct. 4. So a municipal vote one month later would likely provide little guidance for the pre­liminary choice.

A sizeable contingent at­tended the council meeting and wore their sentiments on their lapels in the form of neon green, yellow and pink stickers that read, “Let us vote!”

During the public comment portion of council’s dis­cussion, citizens supporting a referendum and opposing an on-campus stadium were in the majority. Of the 25 citi­zens who spoke, 21 repre­sented that set of view­points.

“I hope you understand how one gets a feeling of powerlessness which falls out the usual system of checks and balances in our democratic process,” Bob Overbeck said in support of a vote of the citizens.

Two citizens expressed opposition to an on-campus stadium, but never said whether they want the ques­tion on the ballot, and two said they favor a new stadi­um and oppose a ballot ques­tion.

“The decision will be made before the election,” Hunter Harms told council. “You’re spinning your wheels.”

Backers of the referen­dum said Frank’s decision next month does not repre­sent a firm commitment, but a “soft decision” to proceed with an on-campus stadium.